Harsh Truths
by BroadwayBaggins
Summary: Spoilers for 5x08. After the birth of his daughter, Robin confronts the Dark Swan and imparts some harsh truths to her. Outlaw Swan BROTP fic.


_Because I need an Outlaw Swan (Swan Outlaw? Bandit Swan?) BROTP like I need air. And we'll probably not see this friendship explored on the show, but I do like to think of it as a friendship._

 _Spoilers for 5x08. Takes place after Emma has taken Zelena, but in a lull period before Zelena and Killian confront haven't seen this episode so forgive me for any incorrect details!_

 **30 Day Drabble Challenge Day 18**

After Regina leaves with the Charmings, Robin is left at the hospital.

Regina assures him that she will be back as soon as she can, and then she leaves him in this unfamiliar, sterile place, surrounded by strangers and a baby daughter he was not expecting this soon. A nurse manages to pry her out of Robin's grasp after a great deal of coaxing—Emma's appearance still has him on high alert and he's reluctant to be away from her, but the nurse explains to Robin that some tests need to be done, that the baby needs to be monitored by professionals, that this is all routine. She promises him that the baby will be fine, that they won't take their eyes off of her for a second, and that he can look at her through the nursery window as often as he likes. He finally agrees, carefully placing the little pink bundle in the crook of the nurse's arm (she's well-practiced, at least, has done this for at least 28 years and then some, which does help to lessen his worries a bit) and watches as she takes her down the hall into the nursery. This is normal, he tells himself, for this world. Nothing else about this baby's birth or conception has been normal, but this is, it has to be. This is what happened to Henry after Emma gave birth to him all those years ago, taken away from his mother to be cared for and watched over by professionals before being given to the family that fostered him before Regina came along. It's for the baby's own good, to make sure she's healthy. Really, he tells himself as he sinks into a plastic chair outside the nursery, it's not so different from the midwives back in the Enchanted Forest, helping bring the babes into the world, teaching new mothers how to nurse and swaddle and care for them. No new parent could get by without a bit of help, whether from midwives or mothers or aunts or sisters or a village healer. That was what these nurses are doing with his child now, making sure that she is healthy enough to be brought home after Emma's spell had accelerated her growth. The only difference is the too-bright lights of the hospital and the smell of antiseptic…and the lingering ache in Robin's heart.

He stands up, running his fingers through hair that is no doubt already standing on end. He paces a bit before returning to the nursery window, baffled by the thought that babies are kept behind glass like the animals that he had taken Roland to see at the Central Park Zoo. There is only one other child here besides his, a boy in a little hat and a pastel blue blanket, lying in a little plastic cradle just like his daughter. She appears to be asleep, her little lips pursing every once in a while, and the nurse stands nearby scribbling something onto a chart. She is dressed in pink too, pink like his daughter, strange clothes that look like pajamas but that Regina had explained were called _scrubs._ She is watching his baby, just like she promised. His child is safe, and he allows himself to breathe, sinking into the little plastic chair again, leaning forward and burying his head in his hands.

It's then that she appears before him.

He hears a rustling sound, and the faint smell of sulfur invades his nostrils, and the hair on his neck begins to prickle up and he knows that he is not alone. He knows who he is going to see before he even raises his head, but he still startles at the sight of Emma Swan in all her Dark One glory before him.

Her face is impassive, so pale and so cold it looks like she's been carved from marble. She's always been fond of leather, he's learned in the months that he's known her, but he knows they all miss the red leather jacket that has been abandoned in favor of an ensemble that is more like armor than ever. Her once-blonde hair is pulled back so severely that he thinks it has to hurt. He's seen her like this so many times, and yet the sight is still like a punch in the gut. The old Emma Swan would look at the woman before him now and not even be able to recognize her. Gone is the quick and witty humor, the elusive but contagious smile, the love in her eyes he used to see when she looked upon her family. The Dark Swan, as Zelena calls her, is more like her namesake than ever—beautiful yet terrible, sleek and calculating, with a sharp tongue and even sharper bite.

He knows he's powerless against her. In all the confusion, he's not even sure where he left his blade. But he will die defending his daughter if that is what it takes.

"I don't want to fight you, Emma," he says dully. "But if it comes to that…don't think that I'll hesitate even for one moment."

She blinks. "I don't want to fight you either." He misses her voice, the voice of his friend, not this new one that she has adopted, harsh and gravelly and every syllable as sharp as the dagger that tethers the darkness to her soul.

"Then why are you here?"

"I came to apologize for scaring you earlier. I want you to know that I never intended to harm your baby. I promise. My plans…don't involve her. Only Zelena. Your daughter was never, and will never be, in any danger from me."

Robin stares at her.

"You can choose whether to believe me or not. It's up to you. But I wanted to come and tell you that I truly am sorry for making you feel like your family was in danger."

Robin finally finds his voice. "I wasn't aware that Dark Ones were capable of remorse."

She regards him a long moment, something in her icy expression seeming to break. "Of course," she whispers. "So much that it sometimes feels as if we will break from the agony of it."

He finds he has nothing to say to that.

"The physician that you mercilessly threw against the wall is fine, in case you were thinking of asking," he tells her finally. "Although I believe he may think twice the next time he's asked to deliver another child into this world."

Emma shrugs. "He would have gotten in my way."

"Of course he would have. We are all of us collateral damage to you, are we not? Just a few stepping stones on the way to whatever your plan is. The plan that you won't talk about, that somehow involves Zelena."

Her bloodred lips twitch slightly at his words. "You don't need to worry about that."

"Yes I do." A sudden thought strikes him, so horrible that it makes his blood run cold. "Regina. Where is she? What have you done with her?"

"I've done nothing," Emma replies haughtily. "With any luck she's still trying to break down the defensive spell I put around my house. Not that she'll be able to. It should be enough to keep her busy for a while, anyway. I had a quiet moment and I thought I'd come apologize. Not to gloat, not to distract, not to steal your little girl. Just to apologize. Regina should be back here within the next few hours, depending on when she decides to give up."

"Emma…" Robin says helplessly. "Why are you doing this?"

That seems to shake her resolve somewhat, that simple question. He wonders if no one has ever thought to ask it of her before, or if it's the fact that it's coming from him that has her spooked. "I can't tell you that."

"Bullshit." The vulgar word flies from his lips before he can stop it, but he doesn't care. The time for pleasantries with this woman who has taken over his friend has long passed.

"It's…complicated, Robin."

"So complicated that you would turn your back on the people who love you and want to help you? Your family, your son, Regina, Killian, Belle…me?"

"You?" she asks, surprised.

He gapes at her. "Did you really think that I was offering my aid just to please Regina? That I would have come to Camelot if I didn't genuinely care what happened to you? We are _friends,_ Emma. Can't you remember that? Don't you care?"

Oh, he has her rattled now, and he feels a pang of satisfaction.

"Of course I care. I just didn't…didn't think you considered us friends."

"Of course I do. You saved my life, Emma. I may not remember how, but I know you did. That's not something I take lightly. But we were friends even before that. At least, I thought we were."

"And now?"

He thinks of the moments after Isaac's twisted version of the Enchanted Forest had been undone, of searching the town for Regina. He had just watched her die, he had to see her, _had_ to make sure that she was all right…but when he saw her, standing on her own, hugging her son, he had slowed down. Because she was clearly safe and well and whole, smiling and holding Henry, but Emma, a few feet away, was still on the ground. The woman who had helped to save the love of his life was on the ground, and Robin couldn't in good conscience just ignore her. Robin had slowed his frantic run, leaned down to brush Emma's shoulder as he passed, making sure that she was all right. She was, of course, and a moment later, Regina was in Robin's arms and he was swearing to himself that he was never going to let her go again.

He wonders if Emma remembers that moment.

" _Emma_ is my friend," he says firmly, because it's true. "The Dark One isn't. And while I believe that the woman you used to be is still in there somewhere, she certainly isn't here now. She hasn't been for a long time."

She turns away from him, walking a few brisk steps away, her heels _click-clacking_ on the shiny tile floor. His frame stiffens, ready to jump up, as he watches her regard his daughter through the window. Her posture is as cool as ever, but that vulnerability has come back into her eyes, and he wonders if she's remembering another baby in another hospital over a dozen years ago now. "She's beautiful," she tells him softly.

"Thank you."

"There won't be any ill effects from my spell, you know. All it did was condense seven months of gestation into a single day. She didn't skip over anything. She's just the same as any other healthy newborn, I promise. I just put her a little ahead of the curve."

She seems to be fishing for another thank you, one that Robin doesn't give to her. "We weren't ready."

"I know. And I'm sorry for that. But you will be. And it was necessary."

"Why?" The question bursts from his lips before he can stop himself. " _Why_ was it necessary? Why are you doing this?"

"Robin…"

"We can _help_ you, Emma. We can help you if you just let us."

"No, you can't." Instantly that wall slams down within her again, shutting out Robin the same way that she has shut out everybody who's tried to help her. He's not even sure why he thought he might be able to get through. Maybe because they're not as close as the rest of them. "You can't help me, and I can't tell you. But it'll be all right. I swear it will. This time tomorrow, everything will go back to the way it was."

"You're a fool if you think that, Emma," he mutters.

She turns swiftly on her heel, looking for all the world like a snake poised to strike, but her face is still expressionless. "Am I?"

"Yes. Whatever your plan is, if you think that everything is going to go back to the way things were by tomorrow, then you're a damn fool."

"You think my family won't be able to forgive me for what I've done?"

He sighs angrily, standing up. "Of course they'll be able to forgive you. That's what families do. But it won't happen overnight. You've hurt a lot of people, Emma, and burnt a lot of bridges, and that trust that you've broken will take time to build up again. I would think that you'd know that better than anyone. So yes, if you think that a few magic words and apologies is going to be able to erase all that in a single day…then you're a fool."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Robin heaves another sigh, feeling impossibly weary. "Because right now, I'm the only one who can."

"I think you're wrong. They'll understand soon why I did what I did. And so will you. And everything will be all right again."

"I guess we'll see about that, won't we?"

"I guess we will."

Cold green eyes meet exhausted blue, and Robin's shoulders slump. "Emma…"

"You should get some sleep. You're going to need it with the little one around. Trust me."

"Emma—"

She raises her arms, vanishing in a plume of smoke as quickly as she appeared. He waits until it clears before fear seizes him again. He doesn't even bother going to the window this time, instead yanking open the door of the nursery and running in to see for himself. His daughter is right where he left her, and she fusses when he easily lifts her from her cradle, placing her back into the crook of her arm where she belongs. He gently shushes her, rocking her back and forth until her cries quiet.

"Hey!" the nurse's voice cuts in, and Robin looks up at her. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"If it's all the same to you," he says calmly, "I'd like to take my daughter home now."


End file.
